Spirits
by Sleepy Sheep Guardian
Summary: AU KR Romance and drinks - a bartender's story. HIATUS.


I got bored, what else can I say? Here's to another school year ending. Thank goodness…it's about time! _flumps onto sofa  
_On another note, in my time, where I live, today is the second of July. That makes me happy. Also, I'm heading off to Anime Expo! First time, first con...I feel giddy. See you all when I get back. Enjoy!

PS ... Merriam-Webster: \ˈspir-ət\ - a strong distilled (purification/concentration) alcoholic liquor.

_Spirits_  
Part One  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or its characters. I also do not encourage (underage) drinking.

**ooo**

Rei walked up to his superior and tapped his shoulder to get attention. He needed help. The customers were waiting. He was a bit uncertain, but held his head high and finally asked: "Boris, how do you make sex on a beach?"

"…the hell?!"

Rei stood at the receiving end of a viciously stupefied glare. Shortly after, a snicker wafted in the air. It sounded highly amused and full of arrogance. Boris gently pushed Rei aside, walked up to the source of said snickering and cuffed him upside the head.

"Guuuh! What the hell was that for?!"

"Giancarlo! Don't tell Rei to make shit like that!"

Giancarlo rubbed his dirty blond hair with a huff. "Enrique! I told you Kuznetsov, it's Enrique!" he said.

Boris readied his hand again and Giancarlo held his hands up in defense. "Ok, ok, I get it! Geez…" He leaned past Boris and sent an apologetic smile in Rei's general direction. "My bad! Didn't think you'd actually ask him though," he said as he went back to his customers. "It was just a joke…" he mumbled.

Rei laughed. Boris, on the other hand, wasn't as forgiving. He tapped Giancarlo on the head with his index finger, slowly pushing it precariously close to the wall. "We're not here to joke, we're working for our pay," he said. Then he turned to Rei. "And you…"

Rei immediately straightened up.

Boris handed him a pair of shot glasses and guided him to the bar. "Use your common sense with that womanizer. If a customer asks you for a drink you don't know, come to me, all right?"

The younger boy nodded, smiling softly. "Sorry."

"You're still new, it's fine," he said. Picking up a few bottles from the shelf, Boris ran a hand over his lightly-colored hair and headed toward the end of the bar where a couple was waiting.

Rei served the pair in front of him their shots, and went to clean up. He was a part time bartender in restaurant _Quatre_. It wasn't his dream job, but it was summer work and it was easy to get. During the end of the school year, his classmate, Oliver, had told him about the restaurant his friend owned, where he cooked as head chef. They were looking for part-time help. Right off the bat, Rei accepted, and he assumed he'd be in the kitchen too, but the owner, Ralf, quickly directed him to the bar near the entrance. There he met Giancarlo ("It's Enrique, ok? The girls love it!"), and Boris, the head bartender.

As scary and unapproachable as Boris appeared to be, Rei took to him quickly. He showed Rei exactly what was required of him, which glasses to use and how to check for false IDs. Rei was hesitant to ask him questions initially, but that fear lifted soon enough (especially considering that Enrique was the alternative). Boris understood that this wasn't Rei's forte and attended to his needs with a very small smile. It made the job a lot easier. A few days in, Rei made no complaints about coming to work.

Even now, falling for Enrique's tricks and constantly being reassigned to customers who asked for basic drinks, Rei was considerably content. He cleaned up after the two men he'd recently served and wiped down the bar. Boris was making small talk with the customers. Sometimes, Rei didn't understand why Enrique and the waiters disliked the head bartender so much. He wasn't the center of attention, but he was a nice guy. At least, Rei thought so.

"Hey, stop staring and get back to work," Enrique said as he sidled up to Rei.

"Am not," he mumbled. Rei turned to the shelves and started realigning the bottles. "Shouldn't you be attending to the bar?"

Enrique shrugged. "No one's wanting…and all the ladies left. It's so sad…"

Rei rolled his eyes. Then he heard the host welcome in more patrons, a few of them wandered over and took a seat in front of them. Enrique took his cue.

"Oh, it's show time…" he said as he turned on the charm. "Welcome! Ah, my lovely ladies, what can I do for you?"

Rei held back a grin as the girls started mumbling amongst themselves, one or two giggling off to the side. Oliver had told him that Enrique also knew the owner and that was why he was still working here. But Rei thought that, if anything, the European knew how to work the customers. He probably drew in the majority of the (female) patrons, possibly brought in girls who wouldn't have otherwise come into the restaurant. Well, Rei didn't mind either way. He was happy that the restaurant was getting business, but as long as he didn't have to serve them it didn't matter.

"Rei, I need a Chablis chilled, and more limes!"

"Got it!" Rei ran to the other end of the bar to get the bottle that was resting in ice and picked up a few whole limes from the cabinet under the counter on the way back.

Enrique flexed his hands and rolled up his sleeves. "Ah, here we go. Watch the master, girls, I've got you covered."

Rei stuck around to watch. For all his talk, Enrique was actually fairly competent at mixing a drink. He was done in two seconds, setting the drink on a napkin and sliding it carefully in front of lady number one.

"And that is how it's done; enjoy," he said with a sparkling smile.

Rei smirked. The girls were eating it up. Soon, another started for blond bartender's attention.

"Oh Enrique, Enrique, we have to get a Kiss of Death," one said.

"Yes please, can you make it two?" said another.

"Ah, I see you've been here before. The house special, two of them, coming right up!" He brought two more glasses onto the bar and signaled Rei to get the ingredients.

'Kiss of Death? Kind of cheesy…' he thought. Rei quickly placed the bottle of tequila near Enrique and lined up the garnishes. He wasn't sure what was so special about it. It seemed like another shot to him, a party favorite.

"I need one more lime, Rei," Enrique said as he began pouring.

"Oh, sorry, hold on," Rei hurried over and reached for another lime, only to have one tossed at him.

"Don't run," Boris said. "It makes us look unprepared."

Rei nodded, handed the lime to Enrique and then stepped back. The couple Boris was attending to had taken a seat at a table. The older boy took his place next to him.

"A Kiss of Death this early? It's only 5PM for crying out loud," he muttered.

Rei glanced at Boris. "Why not? What's so special about it?"

"Nothing, it's just a stupid drink Giancarlo made up when he started working. You take the shot, suck a mint leaf, and then kiss the person who served it to you," he said. "At least, that's what you're _supposed_ to do,"

"Kiss?"

Boris crossed his arms. "So it's usually the server, _that_ idiot server, but he said you can order it and give it to someone else. Load of crap. The moron just wants an excuse to make out on shift," he said.

Rei rested his elbows on the bar, trying not to stare at Enrique and the girls. Sure enough, one of them finished the drink, placed the shot glass onto the table and licked the mint leaf, leaned forward and kissed Enrique on the cheek. Rei blushed; the second one kissed Enrique on the lips…and the European responded. Boris roughly placed his hand on Rei's head and forcefully turned the younger boy's gaze away.

"God, that womanizer never quits," he muttered. "Stay here and serve with some dignity, I'll be right back." Boris mused Rei's unruly locks a bit before leaving. Rei quickly turned around to catch Boris discretely kicking Enrique's shin as he told the girls that a table was available for them. They left with frowns, but promised to come back when they were done. Enrique politely waved them off until they were gone, and then proceeded to curse the Russian to hell for killing his leg. Rei smiled, taking his time to smooth out his hair before attending to a new customer.

**ooo**

Friday night, it was the prequel to a wild weekend. Rei steeled himself as the clock struck 6, heralding in small families for dinner and off-duty office workers for drinks. Boris had told him to keep to the back of the bar, and he gladly took the position. As he passed bottles to the bar and rang up orders, he noticed a clear division among the customers. The females were flocking to the right where Enrique was working his charm and the men were scattered to the left, keeping the place going with lively talk and bottles of beer.

This wasn't Rei's first Friday on the job, but it was definitely busier than usual. There was a game playing on the flat screen television near the bar. A birthday party was being held in a large table near the entrance. Waiters were running to and from the bar and the waiting lounge was brimming with guests. It was a bit more than Rei was comfortable with, but he was just thankful that he wasn't up front with the others.

"Excuse me, service!"

Rei cringed. He did not want to attend. Still, this was his job and money was involved so…

"Hi, what can I get for you?" he asked.

The man ordered a scotch on the rocks. Rei could handle that. He finished the order quickly and tried to make for the back, but then a woman flagged him down.

"Yes, two glasses of Port please?"

"One moment," he scrambled out before he dashed to the back – no, walked briskly. He couldn't look unprepared (even if he was). Rei picked up an open bottle and poured two tall glasses for her. She took a sip, nodded and turned to meet her escort. Rei took the chance to escape.

He hid in his corner for three minutes, taking orders from waiters and checking in with Ralf's floor manager, Johnny…anything to get away from the front of the bar.

"Excuse me?"

Rei stumbled. Maybe he could pretend he didn't hear him.

"Excuse me, young man, yes you, with the long hair," he said.

'What the?!' He was being singled out! Conceding, Rei walked out to the front and stood at the bar, looking for his customer. However, apart from the woman he served previously, he couldn't find anyone new at his side of the bar. Then he heard a chuckle from the very end toward the kitchen.

"Sorry Rei, I couldn't resist!"

Rei turned around and sighed in relief. Walking out from the kitchen and taking a seat was Oliver, the one who referred him to the restaurant in the first place. He pushed his unusually bright green hair to the side and undid the top button of his double-breasted chef's jacket.

"Oliver…"

The young chef rested his chin on the palm of his hand and managed a small smile. "So, a bit overwhelming isn't it, Rei?"

"It's…more than I bargained for," he conceded.

"I'm sorry; had I known I wouldn't have pushed you into this,"

Rei waved away his worries. "No, no! I'm grateful; I just need to get use to it, is all."

Oliver nodded. "Well, I hate to add fuel to the fire, but why don't you show off your skills? Can I order a Majestic?"

Rei blanked out. It was another house specialty. "Mm…I'm not, well, I haven't learned all of those yet," he apologized.

"You haven't? Oh, but I thought Giancarlo would have taught you that one. It's the most popular cocktail around here," he said. "Ralf created it, and then he made me concoct four dishes that complemented it."

"Sorry, um…I can get you something else…Kiss of Death?"

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "I should have known Giancarlo would have showed you that one! Oh my, no, it's ok," he said. But then he saw Rei's expression, as if he wasn't capable of much, so he ventured a try. "Since I had to make dishes for it, I know the drink pretty well. Why don't you get the ingredients and I'll walk you through a Majestic?"

Rei glanced at the rest of the bar. Most of the customers were getting tables so it was slowing down, albeit slightly. Why not? At least he would look busy. He gathered four different bottles of liquor and one glass. Two ice cubes sat at the bottom and a cherry waited on the side.

"Ok, start with the rum. That goes first," Oliver said.

Rei steadied his hand, but paused before a drop could spill. "Um…how much?"

"Enough. Just fill it enough,"

"Oliver…what's enough?"

"You don't know?"

"No! I told you I didn't know…"

"Hm…it can't be too much, you still have three more flavors to add in,"

Rei tipped the bottle back, ready to call it quits, until another hand steadied his own.

"Playing hooky, chef?" Boris asked as he poured enough rum to cover half the ice cubes' height.

"Boris! Ah, just checking up on Rei," he grinned.

"Um hm…" Boris placed the bottle down and pointed to another, gesturing for Rei to continue. "First Giancarlo and his Kiss of Death and now you're showing our newest bartender the Majestic. Some role models," he mumbled.

"Aw, it's a _Quatre_ original! I had to enlighten him,"

The two talked back and forth amiably. Boris continued pointing out bottles in a certain order, pausing in between to let Rei memorize the formula. He placed his own hand over Rei's to dictate how much should go in and then let go when he was finished. Although he had been serving cold drinks all night, Boris' hand was surprisingly warm. Coupled with the heat emanating from having the older man behind him and Rei was close to a blush. He quickly stirred the liquors together, tossed the cherry in and presented the Majestic to Oliver on a napkin. As suspected, Boris backed away when it was done. Rei allowed himself to breathe.

"Hm, not bad for your first go, Rei!"

Rei barely acknowledged Oliver as he took another sip.

"I think I'll take this back with me, to pick me up for the late night rush,"

Boris smirked. "Don't get drunk on the job, chef,"

"Boris you know my alcohol tolerance is higher than yours! Besides I can't let Rei's efforts to go waste," Oliver took a moment to rebutton his jacket before picking up the glass again. "Well, I'll see you at closing!"

Rei waved him off, running his hands over his apron afterwards. A hand fell onto his shoulder.

"It'll get lively again in a few hours before closing, but it won't be too busy," Boris said. "Go to the kitchen if you're overwhelmed. We can handle it."

Rei nodded, smiling with gratitude for the offer of a reprieve. Boris left soon after, answering Enrique's call for a little assistance. Rei cleaned up his station. With Boris watching him, he had spilled a few drops out of nerves. He had to be careful. Boris was always so nice to him, but it didn't necessarily mean anything. Sure, he was…less than friendly with Enrique; however, that's a different story. With Oliver and Ralf, Boris was just as approachable as he was to Rei. The young bartender's eyes slowly shifted, catching just a glance of the Russian before turning away to finish cleaning up. No matter what, it still felt good to hope.

**ooo**

When it became 9 and 10 o'clock, a larger group came to the bar. They weren't numerous, just a bit rowdy. Rei caught Boris' gaze and felt that it was ok to go into the kitchen. Most of the patrons dining at the tables had gone, so Oliver and the other chefs didn't mind him being around. Oliver even sent him to deliver a few desserts and he came back with dollar bills sticking out of his apron pocket. The other chefs laughed and jokingly said they'd talk to Ralf about making Rei a waiter instead.

"Enrique handles the bar and Rei can handle the tables,"

"Didn't realize Rei was such a looker, bringing in the tips…"

"We split those equally you know! Go back and get some more!"

Oliver laughed along with the others, but motioned for them to quiet down as Rei began to get uncomfortable. He told Rei he could come back anytime if the bar got too hectic and gently pushed him out of the kitchen so that they could clean up.

Rei made his way back to the bar, a bit surprised that only a few people were left. He checked the clock, 12:36AM, it was getting fairly late. As he took up his place among the wines, Enrique approached him.

"Well it's about time Rei. And where were you exactly?"

He tried to shrug it off. "Just helping out in the kitchen…you guys seemed to be all right," he said.

"If we were all right, Ralf wouldn't have hired you!" he rolled up his sleeves. "Honestly, kids these days," he grumbled.

"Don't listen to him, Rei," Boris said. "He's just pissed because the women have been sparse."

"And on a Friday night, too! What are the chances?! Man…"

"Lech…" Boris said none too quietly. But Enrique had set his little rant aside to tend to a customer. The older man turned his attention back to the young bartender. "How was it back there?"

"All right. Louder, but not as busy I guess…" Rei said.

"I can't send you back there all the time, but if you're really uncomfortable, you can take off," he said. Then he nudged Rei forward toward an incoming group. "Think you can handle them?"

"If I can't you'll come to help me anyway, right?"

"I'm not your babysitter, Rei," he said.

But as Rei met the customers and Boris went to pick up empty glasses, somehow he knew that the older man would come through if Rei really needed him. Boris was…

'He is really nice to me after all…' he figured with a smile. Rei prepared a few more drinks. The night came to a close shortly after.

**ooo**

If yesterday was the prelude, today was the storm. Rei could attest to that when he looked back on this day weeks later…

Saturday, Rei didn't need to come in until 5PM. He arrived early though and Boris greeted him as usual. Enrique followed in suit, but reminded him not to run off into the kitchen. Rei agreed not to, but his apology of sorts fell short as a gaggle of girls came in. Although they were looking for a table, Enrique quickly made their destination the bar. Soon after, the crowds started coming in. Steeling himself, Rei double knotted his apron bow and welcomed the patrons.

They came in like a steady stream, slowly taking up the row of barstools and adorning the bar with glasses and stray jackets. Rei handled a good number of people throughout the night, but left the taller orders to Enrique and Boris. There was only one point in the night where Rei held the majority of the customers, when Boris had been called to the back by Ralf, and Enrique had to come assist him. When Boris returned, he had his own clientele waiting just for him.

"Oh God, what's he doing here…" Boris muttered to himself.

Enrique was tending to a group, but Rei had heard the comment. Looking over to the end of the bar, only three people occupied the corner. The third man walked away and two opposites remained – one with red hair, one with blue – hard mahogany eyes skimmed the bottle shelf while ice cobalt zeroed in on the head bartender.

"Should I…help them?" Rei asked. His question fell on deaf ears. Boris was already halfway there. He started a conversation with the redhead while the other turned around in his seat and leaned his back against the bar.

Rei's customers left for their table. When Boris started fixing a drink, Enrique came up and planted his elbow on Rei's shoulder.

"Staring again?"

"…Who are those guys?"

Enrique shrugged. "They come in now and then. Haven't seen him in a while," he said, gesturing to the blue-haired one.

The drink Boris had made was apparently for that one, and then he started another. Getting a better look, Rei caught some blue marks on man's cheek. Blue fins? Enrique placed a hand over Rei's eyes.

"C'mon, stop staring!" he laughed.

Rei stumbled back and pried the hand away. "Am not! It's just that guy…that guy…" he trailed off. The redhead was getting more animated in his speech, leaning on the bar and smiling. "It's weird…Boris' friends never come over. Even the guys I knew from school visited once, and you –"

"Friends?" Enrique parroted as he slung his arm fully around Rei's neck. "I don't know if that's the right word…"

Rei struggled to lift the offending arm away. "What?"

"Well, Kyle? No…Kai? The statue over there, I guess he's a friend," he said. "But the other one, Yuriy…"

Yuriy picked up his drink, took a sip and set it aside. Shaking his head, he motioned for Boris to come closer, as if making a complaint about it. Boris reluctantly did so, a scowl on his face. Taking his opportunity, Yuriy pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and kissed him square on the lips.

Rei blanched.

"…Mm…yeah, I'd say boyfriend would be correct," Enrique said. "Friend isn't enough all things considered."

Yuriy took another sip of his drink afterwards, a grin playing on his lips. Boris straightened his collar, scowl still present, although he seemed pleased about it.

Rei was not. He was not pleased, not with Boris and definitely not with himself. He had tried to be careful, always knew something wasn't right about what he felt…he was not careful enough.

"Ok now, let's give them some time. Stop staring, Rei," Enrique said, pulling the young bartender along with him off to the other end of the bar.

Rei let himself get taken away, to the kitchen, to the customers, to anywhere else, somewhere his mind could rest, until his heart could catch up.

As Yuriy and Boris continued a light conversation, Kai finally picked up his drink. He turned in his seat slightly, eyeing the slow retreat of a young bartender and the pieces he left behind him.

**ooo**

The idea was sitting in my mind for a bit; I had to let it out. Second part coming out soon, just these two…I'm not big on super long one shots so I split it (because I can). Comments appreciated, bye!

Sleepy Sheep G.


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